de ‧ na ‧ tion ‧ al ‧ ize BrE AmE ( also denationalise British English ) /diːˈnæʃ ə nəlaɪz/ verb [transitive]
to sell a business or industry that is owned by the state, so that it is then owned privately SYN privatize OPP nationalize
—denationalization /diːˌnæʃ ə nəlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə n $ -lə-/ noun [uncountable]